Resistance
by 0x-Coming-for-You-0x
Summary: Hermione is well aware that Draco is a Veela and that she is his mate. In fact, she has already wholeheartedly accepted the fact that she would be spending the rest of her life with him. Curiously enough, the only one resisting in this situation is Draco himself. With the help of the elder Malfoys, a scheme of seduction begins.
1. Stage 1

It should be noted that Hermione Granger's extraordinary sense of logic allowed her to overcome her emotions and to rationally analyze the circumstances she was placed in.

It was only _one_ of the contributing factors as to why she was the "Brightest Witch of Her Age".

So when Narcissa Malfoy had owled her requesting for her attendance for afternoon tea for the upcoming Friday, she didn't panic.

"You can't possibly be _serious_!"

Ronald Weasely, on the other hand, was panicking.

"It's not an unreasonable request, Ronald. The war is long over and Narcissa is not a bad person. We fought that war to overcome prejudices, _so please_, stop making a big deal out of it."

Trying to rationalize with Ron was always a tedious task. Ron's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water before turning to the third member of their group for support.

"Harry, tell her she's being ridiculous!"

Harry Potter regarded his two friends on opposing sides of his living room before expelling a large sigh. To be perfectly honest, he didn't quite understand the relationship between his two best friends. They had broken up shortly after he and Ron had begun Auror training but Ron still felt entitled to judge what Hermione did in her spare time while she was always continuously defending herself against him.

"She saved my life, mate. She might be Malfoy's mother but she isn't evil."

And with that said, Hermione smirked in triumph as Ron grumbled in defeat.

* * *

Narcissa Malfoy was many things: she was a mother, a wife and mistress of Malfoy Manor.

But she was also a Slytherin.

Her reason for inviting the young Muggleborn witch to tea this afternoon was a highly sensitive one. Therefore, she had to approach the issue in the right way so as to not scare her off. But according to Narcissa's sources, the girl in front of her just happened to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Hermione Granger's compassion would work most wonderfully in Narcissa's favour today.

"Miss Granger, I won't insult your intelligence. I presume you know that I asked you here today for a reason."

"Yes, I thought as much." Hermione affirmed.

"Quite simply put, I need your help."

This grabbed Hermione's attention. She tentatively put down her cup of tea in order to give her full attention to Narcissa.

"I'm willing to hear your request, Mrs. Malfoy."

_Smart girl_, thought Narcissa. _Smarter than I thought – she didn't agree before I told her what I wanted_.

"What do you know about the Malfoy family history, Miss Granger?"

Hermione contemplated Narcissa's question but for a moment.

"Mrs. Malfoy… does this, by any chance, have to do with Draco's Veela heritage and the fact that I'm his mate but he refuses to accept that fact due to his stubborn nature?"

To say that Narcissa was astounded would be an understatement. She almost spit out her tea but managed to swallow it instead. She had heard of the young witch's excellent deductive skills but this was on a whole other level. Her sources had told her that the Granger girl hadn't pursued any OWLs or NEWTs in Divination but she had a hard time believing that right now.

"What gave it away?" she barely managed to choke out.

"There were several indications, actually. The first being the predominate light shade of blond hair that all Malfoys inherit despite the number of brunettes who have married into the family over the years. The second being that all Malfoys seem to possess an ethereal beauty which could only be explained as non-human. Lastly, there's the fact that your son has been unable to look me in the eye without his pupils dilating or getting flustered since he turned 17."

Narcissa didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Hermione continued to talk.

"Of course, when I found out, I immediately ended my relationship with Ronald. From my understanding, there are no two people better suited for each other than a pair of Veela mates. Not to mention, Veelas are quite possessive of their mates and I didn't want to endanger a friend's life."

Narcissa had taken this time, as Hermione was speaking, to gather her bearings.

"Well, it makes things easier since I don't have to explain everything to you, Miss Granger. Am I correct in assuming you also know how detrimental it is when a Veela experiences prolonged separation from their mate?"

Hermione nodded.

"All I'm asking, Miss Granger, is that you give my son a chance. His twentieth birthday is approaching and this separation is beginning to physically take its toll on him. He doesn't sleep through the night anymore and his appetite has been waning…"

Hermione held up a hand to stop Narcissa from continuing.

"Mrs. Malfoy, it's not that I'm unwilling to be with your son… it just so happens that every time I try to confront him, he actually _runs_ in the other direction."

_Huh. Well, that changes things_.

Before either woman could continue the conversation, the sound of the Floo activating could be heard from the next room over.

"Narcissa?" an older, masculine voice called out.

"In the sitting room, dear."

When he entered, it was evident that the most the war did was damage Lucius Malfoy's pride. He was still dressed immaculately and his outfit had been accessorized with the infamous cane. His long blond hair was drawn back and out of his face. After giving up the names of more than fifty of his fellow Death Eaters and paying a large restitution payment to the Ministry, Lucius had been allowed to continue on with his day-to-day life after a 6 month stint in Azkaban.

He had also, clearly, not been expecting Hermione to still be enjoying tea with his wife. He turned to Narcissa and only raised a questioning eyebrow, remaining standing by the doorway.

"She knows, Lucius."

And now he turned to face the Granger girl that was the key to his son's eternal health and happiness.

"And has Miss Granger agreed to help us with this_… predicament_?"

Hermione met Lucius's stare straight on and only raised her eyebrows at him since he seemed reluctant to address her directly.

"It would appear, dear, that Miss Granger is more than willing to give Draco a chance. The real problem lies with our son who is resisting natural instincts to be with his mate."

"Huh… well, that changes things." Lucius commented.

"Tell me, Mr. Malfoy, don't you mind that your son will be mated to a _Mudblood_?" While Hermione had been nothing but polite to Narcissa for the duration of the afternoon, she could not help the slight contempt she held for the senior Malfoy.

"Miss Granger," he was directly addressing her this time. "My son's health and happiness means more to me than blood prejudices. But that doesn't mean I like you… you're still an annoying little chit."

And Hermione couldn't stop her lips from quirking up into a smile. Narcissa was also quite happy about the turn of events.

"I think I'll live, Mr. Malfoy. Since we all seem to be on the same page, here's what I'm proposing we do…"

After Hermione had finished outlining her plan of action, both Narcissa and Lucius were secretly impressed. It would seem that their son had finally met his match.

* * *

Immediately after completing his NEWTs, Draco Malfoy had taken up a position in his family's potion company. His main responsibility was management but, under the tutelage of his late godfather's portrait, he had been studying to become a Potions Master on the side.

It was a regular work morning when everything went to shit.

He was greeted by his personal assistant with a fresh cup of coffee in the main foyer of the Malfoy Inc. office building. His assistant, a fresh Hogwarts graduate, was an eager young lad who proceeded to run through his schedule for the day.

"And one last thing," said Toby. "Your father owled and said you should be expecting his new assistant to be dropping off some papers first thing this morning."

"A new assistant?" Draco paused just outside the door of his own corner office. "But Marta has been working for my father for years!"

"Marta is still employed by your father, Mr. Malfoy. It would seem he hired a _second_ personal assistant to help Marta manage the increasing workload."

"Well, that's good to know. Marta has always been a loyal employee. Thank you, Toby. Please prepare any necessary files for our meeting after lunch."

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy!" and then he took off for a small cubicle nearby as Draco entered his office.

Draco had just closed the door when he turned around only to be met with one of the greatest shocks of his life. He dropped his cup of coffee as he could only stare in astonishment. He regained his ability to speak a moment later.

"_Granger_? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Hello, _Draco_."

He couldn't help it, his breath hitched.

She practically purred his name and now she was advancing towards him. The pencil skirt she was wearing was an appropriate length but it hugged her curves _tightly_. And although she was wearing a camisole underneath, her tucked-in shirt was bloody sheer.

"Your father has hired me as his new assistant and I was just dropping off some papers for you to look over."

She was right in front of him now and had to tilt her head back to look at him.

"Oh, no… you've got coffee _everywhere_." With a few flicks of her wand, she had vanished the spoiled coffee, banished the paper cup to the garbage bin and freed his shirt of any stains. Putting her wand away, she ran her hands over his shoulders and down the front of his shirt, pretending to smooth away the imaginary wrinkles.

He gulped.

"I thought you were working at the ministry."

She pretended to contemplate his comment for a moment, all the while stepping even closer. Peering up at him through her eyelashes, she answered his question.

"I was… but the work there wasn't exactly _gratifying_." Her hands had stilled now and were resting on his chest.

Draco knew his pupils had dilated by now and took a step back out of Hermione's reach.

"What are you playing at, Granger?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Draco." She was trying to play innocent but her smirk gave her away.

"Bullshit." She tried to step closer again so he walked around to put his desk between them.

"You know, don't you? You know that I'm part-Veela and that you're my mate."

Hermione shrugged casually but he knew he was right when she looked him right in the eyes. She walked up, leaned over his desk and yanked his tie to bring them face to face.

"Why do you resist me, Draco?" She pouted and he nearly had an aneurysm.

"Because I don't want a bloody mate!" He pulled away quickly and his usually pale face was flushed crimson.

She continued to stare at him. Her chocolate eyes were so inviting that he couldn't break eye contact even if he wanted to. She cocked her head to one side as if contemplating something.

"Okay."

"W-w-what?!" Draco spluttered.

"I said okay. I'm not going to force you to claim me as your mate."

And she walked out of his office without any further acknowledgement to his presence, leaving him hypnotized by the swaying of her hips.

She had just agreed with him to forget the whole bloody thing… so why wasn't he happy?

* * *

Just a few moments later, Hermione entered Lucius's office without knocking. Not even sparing her a glance, his focus remained on the paperwork in front of him.

"How did it go, Miss Granger?"

"Exactly as planned," she couldn't help the glee in her voice. "We can enter Stage 2 of the plan almost immediately. No wonder you Slytherins enjoy plotting so much, it's absolutely thrilling!"

"Very good, Miss Granger. You may take the rest of the day off if you wish."

Hermione gasped as if insulted which caused Lucius to actually look up.

"Take the day _off?_! Absolutely not! There's so much work to do and I've agreed to review three potion alterations by the end of the day. How could you _suggest_ taking the day off?"

Lucius merely raised both eyebrows at the young witch and she left his office in a flurry, determined to take her fake job seriously.


	2. Stage 2

To say that Draco Malfoy had been in a shitty mood all week would be an understatement.

Ever since Granger had started work at the company, he had been living a bloody nightmare. It was like trying to deny himself the sweetest and largest Sugar Quill in Honeydukes but it was constantly dangling itself in front of him. Fortunately for Draco's sanity, Granger's tantalizing pencil skirt never made another appearance.

Unfortunately for Draco's sanity, she had opted to replace her pencil skirt ensembles with the _tightest_ work dresses in the whole bloody history of the Wizarding _and_ Muggle World. She didn't even bother covering up with wizarding robes. Today's dress was probably the worst.

It was _Slytherin green_, for Merlin's sake!

Because Draco had been too busy admiring her dress, he had failed to notice Hermione approach him.

"Excuse me for a moment, Draco. I just need those lacewings behind you."

Then before he knew it, her soft body was pressed up right against his. She didn't even spare him a glance as she peeked over his shoulder and reached above to grab the jar of lacewings. She had needed to stand on tippy-toes to reach the potion ingredient and as her feet fell back to the ground, her body slowly slid down against his.

Flashing him a brief smile, Hermione walked away leaving Draco in a rather uncomfortable state.

* * *

Draco was currently in a miscellaneous break room located on some miscellaneous lower floor in hopes of escaping _her_.

For the whole morning, Hermione bloody Granger had been within at least peripheral vision. So, in order to avoid temptation, Draco tried to distance himself from her. He even had to resort to making his own coffee. The breaking point had occurred at approximately 11:23pm, just shortly before his predetermined lunch break, when the two of them were suspiciously alone in the elevator lobby on the top floor.

* * *

Her arms were practically empty, carrying only a small folder and a quill. She was standing in front of him while they both waited for the lift to arrive. Besides a short "Good morning, Mr. Malfoy," she barely acknowledged his existence. When the doors opened signalling the arrival of the elevator, her quill had suddenly dropped to the floor.

And then Draco swore he had died.

In her seemingly _tight_ dress and stiletto heels, Hermione Granger bent over in front of him. Legs kept straight, she had bent over at the waist and reached down to retrieve her quill. And because Draco had been waiting _behind_ her, he could only stare at her beautiful curves on display in front of him. Her assets had captured his attention so well that he hadn't even realized that _maybe_ she had stayed bent over a bit longer than necessary.

He almost groaned when she had straightened back up.

"_Will you be coming in, Mr. Malfoy?"_

Her words snapped him back to reality and he joined her in the lift. He refused to make small talk or even eye contact with her. When the lift stopped just several floors down and several employees also joined them, he had breathed a sigh of relief.

However, his relief was short-lived.

The next floor had even more people getting in which conveniently jostled Hermione enough that she ended up standing in front of him, her back pressed against his front. When the lift began to move again, it caused Hermione to lose her footing and she almost fell over. His reaction was instinctual and Draco had reached out to steady her, both his hands holding her by the waist.

Before he could remove his hands, Hermione turned around to face him. She leaned up until their lips were only centimetres apart. Draco began having trouble breathing and he was so startled that his hands remained on her hips.

"Thanks, _Draco_." She was _purring_.

Then, she had slipped away just as the doors opened and he lost sight of her as more people shuffled in. Draco was so concerned with regaining his breath that it never occurred to him that all the bystanders in the elevator hadn't even spared the couple a second glance.

* * *

The light on the coffee maker went out indicating that the coffee had finished brewing and bringing Draco back to the present.

"Oh, what is that _delightful_ smell?"

Draco's whole entire body stiffened when a soft, petite body pressed itself against his back.

"Mmmm…" Hermione hummed. She had been peeking over his shoulder trying to figure out what it was. "I didn't realize you knew how to make your own coffee, Mr. Malfoy."

Her voice was teasing. She came forward and poured two cups for both of them before Draco got a hold of himself.

"What are _you_ doing _here_?" Draco groaned.

"Oh, this is my favourite break-out room." Hermione was smirking now. "Hardly anyone comes in here, actually… a lot of privacy. We should take advantage of that." Her voice was sultry by the end of her sentence and more alluring than Draco would like to admit.

He probably also wouldn't admit that he bolted out of the room after being propositioned by _Granger_.

* * *

A subdued Harry and Ron were sitting on the couch as a smug Hermione held both their wands in her left hand, her right hand twirling her own.

The young witch had just broken the news to her two best friends about her current… _agenda._ She had tried to break it to them gently but her two best friends would always be melodramatic when it came to matters concerning her love life. Then she had tried to argue it logically but they were too brash by that point. This led her to disarm both Harry and Ron before they could storm away to Malfoy Manor.

She supposed the _silencio_ she cast also had something to do with their unnaturally subdued manner.

Ginny Weasely, on the other hand, did nothing to contain her laughter as she sat in an armchair in another corner of the living room. Her laughter was directed at her boyfriend and brother, of course.

"Now," Hermione began to speak. "I'm going to give both your voices back but you will _not_ argue with me anymore about this matter. We are going to enjoy our peaceful Sunday brunch here at the Burrow and you two will learn to accept _Draco _into our lives. Agreed?"

Both boys nodded and Hermione undid the spell.

"HERMIONE, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

"HE'S A FERRET!"

"OH, SHUT UP!"

The last shout had come from George Weasely who was currently standing in the doorway of the living room.

"How can you possibly be okay with this?" Ron was borderline hysterical.

"Probably because Hermione told us all _ages_ ago." George smirked.

Both Harry and Ron whipped back around to glare at Hermione. She just shrugged at her two friends.

"Everyone else knows what Draco is to me and what I am to him… I didn't tell either of you until now well, because of this anticipated reaction. Now, I expect the two of you to finish sulking by the time brunch is over because you'll both be an integral part to Stage 3."

"Oh!" Ginny piped up. "I love Stage 3!"


	3. Stage 3

**AN: Thank-you so much for the reviews! XOXO**

* * *

Draco Malfoy hadn't graduated second of his class at Hogwarts for no reason (finishing only behind a certain bookworm that shall not be mentioned).

He had spent the whole weekend analyzing his encounters with Granger. He had come to the conclusion that his encounters with her were just too suspicious to be coincidence. The little tease had been trying to play him all along. Now, if there was one thing that could be said about Draco (besides reformed Death Eater, heartthrob and spoiled heir), it was that he was competitive. Whatever game Granger had decided to play with him, he was desperate to win.

Which is why, when Monday rolled around, Draco had resigned himself to a plan of action. Instead of acting disinterested, he would reciprocate her actions. Hopefully, this would be enough to shock her and scare her away because it wouldn't be something she expected. His plan was foolproof, really. Not wanting to look ridiculous for patting himself on the back, Draco just let a smug smirk rest upon his handsome face.

Both Lucius and Narcissa were seated at the dining table as the Malfoy family had breakfast together. Seeing the premature look of triumph on their son's face, they turned to look at each other. Narcissa was flabbergasted while Lucius was _impressed_.

* * *

"_Now, Miss Granger, we have the utmost faith in…" Narcissa broke the ice._

_The elder Malfoys had invited Hermione over for tea again to discuss the progress with Draco._

"_However," Lucius interrupted, "Draco seems to be just as reluctant to accept you as his mate as before. Stage 2 has proven to show no results." _

"_I would have to disagree with you, Mr. Malfoy." Hermione said. Putting down her cup of tea, she gave her full attention to explaining her theory. _

"_You see, Draco's biological reaction to my touch hinders his ability to think clearly. Once we've been apart for a reasonable amount of time, he'll start thinking more clearly. Knowing Draco, he'll come to the conclusion that our encounters are not of circumstance and realize that I've been toying with him all along. And then what will most likely happen afterwards is that he will try to concoct some sort of masterful plan to try and scare me away from my own game." _

"_He's a Slytherin." Lucius boasted. "How do you know his scheming won't be successful?" _

"_He may be a Slytherin but he is still a man and you men can be so predictable." _

_Narcissa couldn't help but hum in agreement. _

"_What Draco will most likely do," Hermione continued, "is go for the shock factor. He'll begin reciprocating my touch in hopes that I've been bluffing. He will intend to fight fire with fire. When he enters this mindset, it will be the perfect time to fall back and begin the next stage of our plan."_

"_And how can you be so sure about this?" Lucius was skeptical and still slightly insulted about her comment about men. _

"_Come Monday morning, if a smug look appears on his face at the breakfast table, you will know he has come to the conclusion that I have predicted." _

* * *

"Are you sure Miss Granger didn't continue on with her divination classes?" Narcissa muttered to her husband. Draco was too immersed in his plans to notice.

Lucius only nodded and Narcissa held out an open palm under the table and out of Draco's sight.

Lucius deposited the agreed-upon number of galleons into her hand.

* * *

Draco was _humming_ when he finally arrived at the office which slightly scared the lobby receptionists.

He was just stepping into the lift when a familiar feminine voice called out.

"Hold the doors, please!"

Draco smirked. This was the perfect opportunity to set his plan into action. Unfortunately for him, it appeared that Hermione had other ideas. When she stepped into the lift, she seemed to put as much distance between them as possible by standing on the other side. In fact, besides a brief greeting, she hardly acknowledged his presence at all on the way up to the top floor where they both worked. Draco's smirk was replaced with confusion.

When they arrived at the top floor, the doors opened to reveal the lobby filled with a ridiculous number of floral arrangements. Every single surface seemed to be covered by elaborate and exotic flowers. Toby's head popped up in the middle of a particularly colourful Dahlia arrangement.

"Good morning, sir!"

"What in bloody hell is going on?" Draco questioned his assistant.

"These flowers arrived this morning… they're for Miss Granger, actually!"

"Oh, but who could have sent them?" Hermione then turned to him. "Draco, could you pass me the card attached to the red roses please?"

Locating the card, Draco silently handed it over. His stomach had begun to feel unsettled.

"To Hermione," she read aloud, "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. With love, Viktor. Oh, this is so sweet of him! I'm going to Floo him immediately to thank him!" Hermione quickly bustled out of the reception area and into her own office.

Draco, on the other hand, was absolutely seething. There was a look of genuine pleasure on her face when she discovered who sent the flowers. Why was Granger receiving flowers from another man? _Who the bloody hell was Viktor_?

"Viktor Krum, sir. He was the seeker for the Bulgarian National Team. It was rumoured that he and Hermione shared a romantic past during her Hogwarts days." Toby answered.

Draco blinked.

"You said the last part out loud."

Draco resumed his scowling. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the flowers before storming into his office as his assistant tried to hurriedly put out the flames before the fire alarms went off.

* * *

Draco had cooled down considerably since yesterday morning's floral fiasco. It helped slightly seeing the charred remains of the flowers being swept up by the janitorial staff. He was so wrapped in the satisfaction of his own destructive temper that he didn't even register Hermione's indifference to the burned flowers.

When he left his office to grab some lunch and stretch his legs, he noticed that Granger must have had the same idea as well. She remained distant today and the pair entered the lift together silently. On the way down to the main lobby, Hermione began to examine her appearance in the reflective walls of the elevator. She pulled out a tube of lipstick and applied it exactingly before blowing a kiss at her own reflection.

Draco was enraptured.

Her lipstick was a crimson red. Although he loathed the colour red and was more biased towards green, the shade was sinfully tempting. For a minute, he imagined hitting the emergency stop button and pinning Granger against the wall. He'd take that delicious, pouting bottom lip between his teeth and…

The ding of the elevator doors signalled their arrival to the first floor. Hermione exited first and Draco followed after shaking himself out of a daze. What he saw made him see an entirely different kind of red.

"Ron!" Hermione called out delightfully.

The _fucking_ Weasel had the audacity to be standing in his lobby while the beautiful temptress greeted him with a kiss on a cheek. Weasel's only reaction was a grunt. Hermione's lipstick had left an outline on his face and she was now grinning up at him while linking her arm through his.

Draco's hands clenched into fists and he felt like he was going to commit murder. She was giggling now as the red headed idiot led the two out the front doors to wherever they were going. _Was she seriously going back to the bumbling twit?_

When the two were out of sight, he took his wand and pointed it at the first thing he saw. Ignoring the screams and the sound of a large, decorative vase shattering, Draco went back to his office since he had seemingly lost his appetite.

* * *

Draco was in a particularly foul mood on Wednesday. Granger hadn't returned to the office after leaving at lunch with the orangutan. But he would be the last one to admit that _she_ was the reason for his bad temper. By now, he had forgotten all about his master plan to make his mate back off. In fact, judging by her behaviour, she had indeed backed off _and_ moved on. But even though he got what he wanted, his chest felt like it would constrict until it exploded.

When Draco reached the top floor at company headquarters that morning, what he saw _inspired_ him to concoct a whole new master plan entirely – a master plan for the extinction of all _Weasels_.

Hermione was leaning against one of the marble walls as one of the one of the twins (the One Ear Wonder) was standing in front of her, caging her in place by placing both his hands on the wall behind her head. He was bent over while whispering in her ear and she was giggling and blushing like a school girl. Occasionally, she would gasp and then swat his chest playfully.

Draco was ready to commit murder. Pulling his wand out, he pointed it at the irritating carrot's feet.

"Get to work, Granger!" He barked out before he stormed into his office and slammed the door hard enough to shake the glass walls.

Luckily, Hermione managed to pull George away quickly enough and they both stared at the gaping hole that had burned through the floor.

* * *

"Miss Granger, I must advise you to complete Stage 3 as soon as possible."

Lucius was currently addressing Hermione in his office. She was standing while he was sitting but Hermione was under the impression that he was still talking down to her. She decided to remain silent and let Lucius continue uninterrupted.

"While the results are… _satisfactory_, Draco's temper is not doing any good for company expenses. May I request that the last step of this stage take place _away_ from the company building? It's quite tiresome to keep calling the contractors in every time my son throws a hissy fit."

"I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, the last step of this stage will not result in any more physical damage to your building. Draco will see it necessary to react differently."

"Very well," Lucius nodded. "You may continue then."

Hermione left and rolled her eyes once she was out of his office. As if she needed the old man's approval before continuing on with the plan.

* * *

Friday was coming to an end and Draco was relieved. The approaching weekend meant he could get away from Granger's presence. Luckily for Lucius, Hermione hadn't brought anymore male companions into the company building meaning that Draco wasn't throwing anymore hissy fits. However, her scent was enough to drive him stir crazy.

When the work day was done, Draco found himself taking the lift down with Granger… _again_. Fortunately for his heart and blood pressure, she was not applying any alluring shades of lipstick. In fact, contrary to her behaviour earlier this whole week, she was making polite small talk with him.

"Do you have any plans this weekend, Draco?" Thinking that she was trying to trick him into making plans with her, he listed a number of falsified "engagements that unfortunately would occupy him for a majority of the weekend".

"Well," Hermione said, "don't forget to take some time for you to relax! That's what I'll be doing this weekend. Harry rented this adorable little cottage out by the sea where the two of us will just be staying for the weekend. He even offered to pay for the whole thing because he's worried I'm overworking myself! Isn't that sweet?"

Before he could reply, the doors opened and Hermione stepped out with Draco numbly following her out.

"Oh, look! There's Harry! He decided to pick me up right after work so we could get an early start to our relaxing weekend _alone_ together." Then, Hermione ran forward and leaped into Harry's arms to greet him with a hug.

Now, to be fair, Draco was not an oblivious man. Somewhere, in his deep subconscious, he knew that the Scarhead was dating the Weaselette. However, rational thoughts seemed to escape him at the moment as he tried to think of ways to turn the Boy Who Lived Twice into the Boy-Who-Died-Three-Times-and-Would-Stay-Dead-this-Time. So it must be said that Draco really did not have control over his actions at the time.

In just a few quick strides, Draco had stalked over to where Hermione and Harry were. He grabbed her wrist, pulled her right up against him and apparated them to the first place he thought of.

* * *

Apparently, the first place he thought of was his _bedroom_.

He pushed Hermione away (albeit gently, mind you!) and began to pace back and forth on the carpet. Hermione stepped back to take a seat on the edge of his king-sized bed. The black sheets complimented the dark green walls very well. She smirked to herself at what a Slytherin cliché her soulmate was.

He was breathing deeply now and Hermione knew the lecturing was about to begin. She kicked off her shoes and moved further back onto the bed until she was resting against the pillowed headboard.

"What are you bloody _thinking_?!" Draco didn't wait for an answer. "You weren't bloody thinking, that's what! You can't just wander off to isolated cottages by the sea alone with a man! Men are idiots and take advantage of vulnerable girls! And _Potter_ just proved how much of a scum he is – he has his own bloody girlfriend for Merlin's sake and yet he's taking you on vacations!"

He took a deep breath before continuing, not bothering to look at Hermione as he continued his angered pacing.

"And this isn't the first bloody time you've done something this ridiculous! Don't think I've forgotten about you leaving work early to spend time with the Weasel. He's also a wanker and you don't know what he could've done when nobody knew your whereabouts!"

Two slim arms wrapped themselves around his waist from behind, ceasing his pacing. He could feel her hot breaths through the fabric of his shirt and suddenly Draco had a hard time breathing himself.

"I'm sorry, Draco." Her voice seemed sincere. "If it bothers you so much, I promise I won't go off alone with anymore of my male friends."

He would've breathed a sigh of relief… you know, if he could breathe at all with her in such close proximity.

"However," the tone in her voice changed. "Since you pulled me away from a promising relaxing weekend with Harry, it is now _your_ responsibility to ensure my weekend is stress free." Unwrapping herself from him, she pulled out her wand and gave it a wave. A small trunk appeared at the foot of his bed.

"And don't even think of trying to back out, Draco Malfoy. You brought this upon yourself. You might as well cancel all those previous engagements that we both know aren't real. And just to make sure you don't try to shake off your responsibility, I'll be staying in this room with you. Now… where's the bathroom? I'd like to freshen up before dinner."

Without waiting for an answer, Hermione walked over to one of the doors in an attempt to locate the bathroom while Draco just gaped before spluttering some nonsense about how she couldn't just invite herself over and expect him to cater to her every whim.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door in the hallowed halls of the Manor, Lucius and Narcissa were snickering to themselves thanks to the aid of some Extendable Ears.


	4. Stage 4

To say that Draco Malfoy was grumpy would be an understatement.

His attempts to persuade Granger to not stay the weekend were unsuccessful. He thought that maybe his parents would help him. It wasn't proper decorum for an unmarried man and woman to be sharing a bed, after all. But to his dismay, his parents had adopted a nonchalant attitude towards the whole situation. Dinner was eaten in a companionable silence between the elder Malfoys and Hermione while Draco sat in his chair absolutely gobsmacked.

If that wasn't bad enough, he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

The doors to _all_ the guestrooms were conveniently locked meaning the only available bed was the one in his room and so he had resigned himself to an unfortunate fate. So he had dragged himself back to his room after a fruitless search for Malfoys simply did not sleep on _couches_. He had just slipped under the covers when his bathroom door opened and it took all his will power for his jaw not to drop.

Hermione was wearing a silky little number that just barely covered what was necessary to cover. To add salt to the wound, it was _Slytherin green_. Black lace trimmed the edges and there was no evidence of panty lines. She ran her fingers through her hair, moussing it up and making her curls wilder than usual. Draco's mouth had gone dry.

When she finally slipped under the covers, Draco did his best to keep the distance between them. He was practically at the edge on his side of the bed but it was no use. It appeared that Hermione had fallen asleep within just a few minutes judging by her breathing. It also appeared that Hermione was a _cuddler_.

Shortly after falling asleep, her body had turned to face him and she unceremoniously threw one leg over his. This resulted in her thigh brushing up against his _happy place_ and it awoke some of Draco's more primal urges. If that wasn't enough, she ended up cuddling up to him in her sleep. She gripped one arm in a tight vice making it impossible for him to escape and she shifted so that her head rested in the crook of his neck. Hermione remained in that position for a majority of the night. Only when the sunlight began peeking through the heavy drapery did she move enough to release Draco from her death grip. Giving up on sleep all together at that point, Draco had slipped out of bed to get ready for the day.

Now here he was: seated at breakfast across from his mother and beside his soulmate. Not that he was any closer to accepting Hermione or anything; he was just stating a fact; the fact that know-it-all Granger was his _soulmate_.

Deflecting from the issue at hand, Draco thought about the comfortable silence at the breakfast table. He wouldn't go as far to say that Hermione and his parents were getting along but an unspoken civility had been established between them. An image of his parents and Hermione concocting some sort of nefarious scheme popped into his head suddenly and he almost snickered aloud at the thought. What a ridiculous idea! Draco knew his parents had accepted that fact that Hermione was his mate but he doubted they would ever be _that_ close. After all, scheming was considered an intimate activity among Slytherins and done only with those whom were trusted friends.

"Ow!" Hermione's sharp gas of pain broke through Draco's inner monologue and he immediately snapped to attention.

"What happened? Are you in pain?" Draco didn't even realize he was beginning to sound frantic.

Hermione's eyes began to water as she held up a solitary finger (no, not _that_ finger). A single red line marred the skin.

"I was cutting into my French toast and I guess my finger slipped. It's no big deal, Draco."

He could tell she was just trying to put on a brave front for him but he saw right through her act. How could he have been so careless? His own mate was injured under his watch. Draco decided to berate himself later when a single tear fell from Hermione's eyes. He immediately lifted a hand to wipe the tear away.

"Let's rinse it under some water; we don't want it to get infected." Draco was already getting out of his seat and expected Hermione to be doing the same.

"Draco, it's just a cut. I'll be fine, just give your wand a wave and we can finish breakfast." Hermione's rebuttal was useless because Draco had already made up his mind.

"I'm not taking any chances, Granger. It could already be infected for all we know and sealing the wound would just trap the infection." He grabbed her wrist, albeit gently, and pulled Hermione to the nearest bathroom to treat her wound himself. Dead set on his warpath, he missed the amused looks exchanged between his parents and the fact that Hermione's eyes had already dried.

* * *

In order to make sure that Hermione – no, _Granger_ – didn't actually begin to think that Draco cared about her, he decided to take his broom for a ride in the gardens to put some distance between them. Although he didn't play Quidditch anymore, flying still helped to clear his head and relax.

A bright pink scarf flying out of one of the upper windows caught his attention. It was unusual because windows at the manor were hardly ever opened since Lucius believed that fresh air was for common people. Instead, the house elves were ordered to keep the manor standing at a specific temperature through the use of cooling and warming charms.

In the most smoothest and fluid of movements, Draco turned his broom around to fly closer in order to inspect the open window. When he did get close enough, he was shocked to find that it was his _mother_ standing at the open window. She had been flagging him down like some city cab with one of her scarves.

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy!" His mother began to scold him before he could even ask her what was wrong. "How dare you leave your guest unattended! Meet Miss Granger by the back doors in the East Wing _immediately_."

Knowing better then to argue with his mother, Draco did as his mother told. Upon arrival at the east side of the manor, he was met with one of the most astonishing sights he never expected to see.

"What do you think? Your mother helped me to dig up some of your old Quidditch things." Hermione did a little twirl on the spot.

To be perfectly honest, seeing Hermione in his old Slytherin Quidditch robes had made his trousers a bit _tight_. There was something about seeing his last name displayed across her back that pleased the possessive, testosterone-driven side of him. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail showing off the _delicious_ curve of her neck… Draco took a moment to literally shake himself out of it.

When he did snap out of his lust-induced haze, he noticed his old Nimbus 2001 gripped tightly in her right hand.

"What are you doing with my old broom, Granger?"

"I'm going to fly it…" She was giving him a look that clearly questioned his mental state. After all, what else would you do with a broom?

"But you don't like to fly!"

"Well, actually, it's always been more of a disinterest rather than a dislike. But what better time to try something new than the present, right?"

Hermione straddled the broom clearly giving no indication of a bluff. With all the force she could muster, she kicked off the ground and shot up into the sky. Then, Draco's mind went into overdrive.

What if she didn't know how to get down? What if a strong wind blew her far away and out of his reach? What if a rogue hippogriff swooped in and took Hermione for its dinner? What if a dragon came along and charred his mate to ashes? _What if she fell?_

A piercing scream from the sky broke the tranquil silence of the large estate and Draco looked up only to see his morbid thoughts coming to life. Years of seeker training allowed him to scan the skies quickly before he located Hermione dangling off her broom with only one hand still gripping the handle.

Draco had already mounted his broom and kicked off before Hermione's hand slipped off the handle, setting her into a free fall over 200 feet. Her scream was cut short when she was caught by Draco's waiting arms. Taking a moment to settle her on his broom securely in front of him, he then began to fly back to the manor.

There were not many times in Draco's life that he could remember ever feeling that scared for someone else's safety. His whole body was still tense from the adrenaline and he could feel Hermione's staring at him but he refused to meet her brown eyes. He knew it wasn't her fault and he was relieved that he had managed to catch her but part of him couldn't help but blame her just a little bit for putting her own safety at risk.

When they landed, Hermione immediately wrapped her arms around Draco's torso and buried her face into his chest. It was only when heard the telltale sounds of sobbing did his stony demeanour seem to soften. Rubbing smoothing circles in her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other, Draco tried to comfort his distraught mate.

"Granger, you're fine. You're alright. I caught you. Please stop crying."

He tried removing her arms so he could step back to get a better look at her but Hermione only tightened her grip. Draco tried a different approach and used two fingers to tip her chin up so he could see her face. His heart almost broke seeing her tear-streaked face and some internal part of him vowed to always protect her despite his reluctance to accept her as his mate.

"I promise you, Hermione, that I will always do my best to catch you when you fall." Her lips seemed to twitch and Draco took that as a sign that he was succeeding in cheering her up. "Let's go in and grab a warm cup of tea, okay?"

Hermione nodded and Draco led her inside, wrapping a protective arm around her waist.

* * *

By batting her eyelashes a few times and pouting irresistibly, Hermione had managed to convince Draco to spend Sunday afternoon with her in the manor's library. He really should've known better – there was no way _Hermione Granger_ would pass up the opportunity to explore the third largest magical library in all of Britain.

Currently, Draco's arms were full of books that Hermione had pulled off the shelves. The books were beginning to tire him out but the excited squeal that Hermione let out whenever she found an interesting new book made him hold his tongue. He would put up with it because she was happy.

"Oh, Draco! Look at the binding and lettering on this one, it looks so pretty!" Draco directed his attention to the book that Hermione was pointing out. It was a deep purple colour with gold lettering. The title read _La bise d'amour vrai_ and Draco could not remember ever having seen that book among the many shelves in the library and he found it doubly odd that it was nestled among the books about poisonous potion ingredients.

Before he could voice his concerns about the oddity of the book, Hermione had already reached out to pull it off the shelf. A blinding white light erupted throughout the whole library and subsequently faded away a few moments later. When Draco could finally see again, horror consumed his body.

Hermione had fallen to the ground before him and her body was unmoving.

"Granger! GRANGER! Wake up!" Draco dropped to his knees and shook her shoulders but took care not to jostle her too much. Cradling her head in his lap, he continued to try to wake her up. Her skin was beginning to feel ice cold and Draco could see no indication of breathing. Putting two fingers to one of her pulse points, he was unable to find a heartbeat.

"No… no… MOTHER! FATHER! Help…" His voice choked on the last word as he attempted to hold back a sob. Both his parents burst into the room at a remarkable speed which Draco attributed to the evident sound of distress in his voice.

"Draco, what in Merlin's name happened?" Narcissa was the first to approach her son and the lifeless Hermione.

"The book… she just touched the book… Mother, what do I do? She's gone…"

"Son… I think we need to contact the aurors". Draco turned his teary gaze to his father. He didn't try to mask his pain from Lucius since the love of his life was most certainly dead. He only nodded in agreement while Lucius left the room to Floo the authorities.

A moment later, the elder Malfoy returned with two _very_ familiar heads in tow.

"…Mione? MIONE!" Ron Weasley completely disregarded everyone else's presence as he fell down to floor next to Hermione's body. Gripping one of her hands tightly between his own two hands, Ron began an endless chant of the words "wake up".

Draco took a moment to look up to observe Potter's reaction. His eyes were misted over, his fists were clenched and there was just the slightest quiver in his voice. Harry took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke.

"What happened?" His voice was hoarse and quiet but everyone in the room heard the question.

"It would appear that Miss Granger touched a book in which the magical properties of it are unknown. I assume that she… _collapsed_ after making skin contact." Lucius spoke up for Draco.

Harry nodded tersely in understanding.

"We'll have to perform some simple diagnostic spells first to confirm her… state. Afterwards, our investigation squad will arrive to determine the cause of death." Harry's voice was monotonous as he relayed the standard protocol for such situations.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM? OUR BEST FRIEND IS DEAD!" Ron sprung to his feet to confront Harry. Striding over to the dark haired wizard, Ron gripped the front of Harry's robes and tried to shake some sense into him. To be truthfully honest, Draco was also wondering the same thing. How could Potter remain so passive when Hermione was…

"I KNOW, RON! BUT IF I DON'T MAINTAIN MY OBJECTIVITY, I'M GOING TO LOSE IT!" Harry was breathing hard now and Ron's grip on his robes slackened. "Please... let's just do what we need to do so we can let the others take over. We need to let her parents and the rest of the family know." Harry's voice was beyond broken.

Ron and Harry stared at each other for a moment before Ron let go of Harry entirely. Harry ran a hand through his hair before kneeling down beside Hermione's body. Taking out his wand, he began to mutter some incantations under his breath that Draco couldn't decipher. Harry began to wave his wand slowly over her from her feet and up towards her head. When he reached her heart, his wand immediately began to glow startling Draco.

"Oh, thank Merlin…" Harry let out a breath he had been holding in and fell back into sitting position.

"Mione?" Ron now joined Harry on the floor and was staring intently at Hermione's face.

"What… what does it mean?" Draco surprised himself when he was able to speak.

"It means she's still alive, Malfoy. Her heartbeat must be too faint to detect by normal methods but she still has one."

Draco's heart burst with an unusual feeling of warmth and light. Looking down at Hermione's resting face, he stroked her cheek gently before addressing Potter again.

"So what happened to her? What do we do now?" If he was in a clearer state of mind, Draco would have slapped himself for looking to Potter for directions.

"Well, it's safe to assume that the book was the cause of it all." Draco rolled his eyes at Potter's deduction skills. "Most likely, the book had some sort of curse on it. We'll need to consult a highly skilled curse-breaker to know what we're dealing with."

"It has to be Bill." Ron jumped into the conversation. "I don't trust anyone else."

Harry nodded in agreement and after giving Bill's Floo address to Lucius, the eldest Weasley son had arrived only a few moments later. Bill Weasely crouched near the abandoned book in such a way that it blocked Draco's view. He managed to see Bill pull out his wand and Draco assumed that he was running some of his own diagnostic spells on the book.

"Well, lucky for Hermione, I married a French woman."

Draco saw no correlation whatsoever between his marriage and Hermione's fortune.

"This curse is actually quite well known and popularized in many Muggle fables. Hermione is actually exhibiting some telltale signs of the curse but the title of the book, _which is written in French_, is what confirmed my diagnostic spells. The curse is not an unbreakable one."

"What do we need to do?" Draco, Harry _and_ Ron spoke in unison.

"Well, actually, this is the tricky part. See, Hermione's can only be awoken by true love's kiss. In other words, only her soulmate has the power to break the curse. Now, I know she doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment so that makes things a bit more difficult. We don't even know if she's even met her soulmate in this lifetime. I suppose Ron could give it a shot first and if not, maybe Harry could try."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Draco's outburst came before he could even stop it. His face was flushed majorly with anger but also somewhat with embarrassment when everybody turned to look at him.

"I already know who her soulmate is…" Draco spoke in a calmer voice.

"How?" Bill's voice was incredulous. Harry and Ron were also regarding him in anticipation and Draco knew he was going to have to explain.

"I'm part-Veela and I recognized Hermione as my mate when I finally reached maturity. I just hadn't accepted her as my mate yet."

"Well, what are you waiting for! Kiss her!" Ron insisted vehemently.

"It's not that easy, Ron…" Bill broke in. "Draco hasn't accepted Hermione as his mate yet. True love's kiss will only work if he wholly accepts her into his life as his one true love. If he has even an inkling of resistance to the connection between them, the curse will be able to pick up on that."

A heavy hand landed on Draco's shoulder and he looked up only to meet the grey eyes of his father. "I know you are unwilling to accept Miss Granger as your mate, Draco. Don't force yourself."

"What are you talking about, you nut bag! This is my best friend's life we're talking about!" Ron shouted.

"And this is my son's life! It's his decision if he wants to spend the rest of his life with this girl!"

"Father…" Draco was beginning to feel weary but he already knew his decision. "I'm going to accept her as my mate. I know that nobody will ever make me happier than she will… And earlier, when I thought she had almost died… I can't imagine living life without her."

Both Harry and Narcissa let out simultaneous breaths of relief.

"Very well, son. We will give you some privacy." Lucius led the group away and Draco was left in the library alone with his sleeping mate, her head still resting in his lap.

"I'm ready to spend the rest of our lives together, Hermione, because I can't imagine a life without you." Draco whispered to her. And then he bent down, his lips meeting hers. It was chaste and sweet and lasted only a moment.

Draco began to tear up when Hermione's eyes began to flutter open.

"Draco?"

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Draco pulled Hermione up against his chest in the tightest embrace and it would be a long time before he would ever let her go.

* * *

Over Draco's shoulder, Hermione looked up towards the hidden viewing balcony in the library. She gave a quick thumbs up behind his back which was returned by Bill, Ron, Harry and Ginny, who had come out of hiding.

"We were never this complicated." Lucius whispered to his wife.

"You were never this romantic either." Narcissa teased.

* * *

**Thank-you so much for sticking by through this story. I had only ever intended for it to be a short story and I apologize for the delay on this last chapter. Keep an eye out for the epilogue!**


	5. The Final Stage

It seemed like everyone from here to Glasgow had been invited to the Manor today in celebration of Scorpius' seventeenth birthday. Of course, more than half of the guests had flaming red hair and Draco shuddered at the thought of all these Weasels – sorry, _Weasley's_ – being so familiar with his ancestral home.

His father was sitting next to him on the marble patio conversing with his father-in-law. Shockingly, the two older men got along just fine. But Draco knew that despite his lack of expression, Lucius felt just as much disdain at having all of Britain's red-headed population swarming the Malfoy gardens. With his arms crossed over his chest, Draco continued to observe his surroundings. His eyes landed on a disturbing sight underneath the willow tree by the lake.

His eldest son, who was the spitting image of his father, was currently sitting at the base of the tree with a strawberry blonde beauty sitting in his lap. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist as he whispered into her ear while she just giggled incessantly.

For you see, it had only taken Scorpius one look at Rose Weasley when she arrived at the Manor this morning to deduce that she was his soulmate. Before she could even put his present down, Scorpius had pulled her into his arms to snog her senseless. Hermione and Ginny had both squealed at the sight while Ron had to be comforted by his wife. In fact, Draco was pretty sure that the Weasel still had not stopped blubbering about his baby girl being defiled. One quick look over his shoulder confirmed this as Ron was a distinct shade of purple while sitting on the steps of the patio with Potter patting his shoulder comfortingly.

A soft form sat itself onto Draco's lap.

"Now, see that, Draco! Our son seems to be more intelligent than you and decided not to resist fate. You could have saved us some trouble if only you weren't so reluctant to accept me as your soulmate."

"Whatever praise he gains for being so speedy to claim her is negated by the fact that she's a We – "

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Draco Malfoy. Might I remind you that they practically family and will officially be so once those two tie the knot." He was being scolded by his wife as she sat in his lap. Merlin had a cruel sense of humour.

"Besides, which is worse? A Weasely or a Potter? Because from the looks of it, Leo has his sights set on Lily. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up being soulmates too." Merlin did not have a cruel sense of humour… he had a twisted and sadistic sense of humour. Draco groaned at the thought of it all.

"And then there's our little Cassiopeia…" Hermione purposefully let her voice trail off but Draco still snapped to attention.

"No! Absolutely not! My little princess will not be defiled by any man! I will build a tower and lock her in it. And I'll buy a dragon. – no, two dragons! – to guard the tower." Both Lucius and Hermione's father took a moment to chime in their agreement before returning to their own conversation.

Hermione's knowing smile was meant to convey the message that Draco was an idiot for thinking that his plan might actually work. At that moment, Ginny walked over.

"It looks like your other son has his sights set on my daughter, Ferret. Luckily for you, my husband is oblivious."

Draco groaned. "I had almost forgotten until you brought it back up again."

Ginny ignored his whining. "And would you look at Scorpius and Rose! They're too cute! And it took no meddling on either of their parts to get the ball rolling. Your son had it easy compared to you, Hermione."

Draco's curiosity was piqued.

"What do you mean by meddling?"

"Really, Malfoy! Did you really think that Hermione getting a job at your potions company was completely spontaneous? Or that all the touching and male friends were a coincidence? And that last little bit concerning her almost-death was particularly entertaining. Hermione practically played you like a violin to get you to accept her as your mate."

Draco was stunned. He looked at his wife for confirmation. Hermione just shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's true. George and I spent a long time working on that enchanted book to work exactly right. You might be the Slytherin but my schemes are proven to be absolutely brilliant."

And then Draco was gobsmacked when Lucius chimed in. "Did you only figure this out now, son?"

"You knew, father?!"

Lucius gave a surprising snort. "Knew? Your mother and I were both in on it. Who do you think put the book there in the first place?"

"My whole family knew about it. George and Bill were delighted to help out. I know Harry and Ron experienced some satisfaction by being able to pull one over you." Ginny added.

Draco resembled something like a goldfish when George made his way over. Seeing the look on his face, George cackled in triumph which managed to gain _everybody's_ attention.

"I _told_ you that he would never figure it out on his own! Everybody pay up! I'm a rich man!"

* * *

**La fin**

* * *

**You're all beautiful for reading my story and sticking by it. To those special few who reviewed my chapters, your encouragement meant more than you know – it was my motivation for finishing this story xoxo**


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